Patrick Sullivan | Author

Northern Michigan isn’t a hotbed of unionism, but in recent years, at least at some of the region’s community colleges, unions have made strides. Faculty at Northwestern Michigan College in Traverse City organized in 2015.

There’s a township just northeast of Charlevoix with miles of Little Traverse Bay shoreline along its northern end, and at its south, miles of Lake Charlevoix shore. In between lie 42 square miles of rolling farmland, curving country roads, nature preserves, and woods.

One of the suspects in a Kalkaska County murder case — one that’s been alternately described as a botched robbery or a drug deal gone wrong — also faced questions in connection with a fatal drive-by shooting in Detroit two years earlier.

Attorneys for the family of a man who took his own life in the Grand Traverse County Jail want answers. They’re asking how it’s possible that an inmate — one who’d just been taken off suicide watch — could be left alone for hours with the means to accomplish ...
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The tiny township of Greilickville has shaken off most its industrial roots, but its mish-mosh mix of businesses, beach, driveways, and docks along M-22 have made the bayside township a traffic nightmare and eyesore. The township is eager to improve, but is the only solution — p...
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Leelanau State Park’s new fat-bike trail is not a typical trail. It’s called a floating trail, because it only exists on top of the snow. And though cross-country skiers, hikers, and snowshoers are welcome on the trail, it’s really meant for fat biking.

Michigan announced new emergency rules for medical marijuana facilities this month, and municipalities across the state are debating whether to opt in and permit provisioning centers or marijuana production.

But in northern Michigan, the supply of medical marijuana for many card-b...
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Architects drew up designs. Fundraising plans were afoot. State historic preservation officials signed off. Earlier this year, Elk Rapids District Library supporters believed they would soon get permission to build a 6,320-square-foot addition to a building they say they&rs...
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As the address for Pugsley Correctional Facility (originally named Camp Pugsley when it opened as a prison camp in 1956), it was one of the places where the state sent many low-level offenders, like those c...
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If you or someone you know struggles with poverty, there are coaches available to help develop long-term plans to find a way out, people who are willing to stay committed for years.Karen Fulkerson, executive director of Family Partnership in Traverse City, said one of her organization&rsq...
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Nearly a decade ago, Tim Keenan retired as community corrections director for the 86th District Court, then he started on a personal journey almost by accident. He hiked the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail, whi...
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